You're faking a smile with the coffee to go
by TheLittle MissVixen
Summary: Christmas One-Shot Elena Gilbert is forced to work late on Christmas Eve, adding one more failing to the growing pile of things she is unhappy about in her life, but a close encounter with a mysterious stranger might change her perspective and make her realize things indeed happen for a reason.


**I had every intention of posting this before Christmas day, but you know how hectic things can get on the holidays, I really hope you're all having the best of times with your family and friends and that enjoy reading this little piece I wrote for you, taking inspiration from Bad Day by Daniel Powter, if you haven't done it already please go and watch the music video because it's amazing.**

 **Happy holidays!**

 **P.S. I promise to update on both of my other stories before the year ends.**

* * *

 _Where is the moment we needed the most?_

 _You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost.  
They tell me your blue skies fade to grey.  
They tell me your passion's gone away._

.

.

Elena Gilbert sulked in the corner as she breathed in the marvelous smell of the coffee cup she was holding as she observed the people who entered the publishing house located in front of the coffee house she was currently in with a mixture of sadness and envy. Cheerful Christmas music blasted from the speakers annoying her and making her feel a tad more irritable, especially after her phone started vibrating once again signaling a thousand of incoming messages from her family group chat.

Elena rolled her eyes and placed the device in _do not disturb_ mode, not wanting to ruin her last ten minutes of lunch break by reading the non-stop messages about the madness that was planning her sister's wedding. Elena loved her family and had always been especially fond of her older sister, but she couldn't pretend to be overjoyed when Katherine was marrying her former boyfriend Stefan; she also didn't understand the need of her parents to add her to said group chat when they were all well aware Kat had snuck around with Stefan for months after he had the guts to break things off with Elena.

Not that she was still heartbroken about it, because fifteen months had been more than enough for her to realize she had dodged a bullet with him, but she couldn't deny she still felt bitter, not because of Stefan's betrayal, but because of her sister's, and the fact that her entire family had sided with the happy couple and forgotten all about her humiliation and heartache only made it sting more.

Grumbling because her mood had soured Elena downed the rest of her cup and placed a couple of bills on the table before grabbing her purse and standing up; New York's chilly air greeted her as she abandoned the coffee house and tightened her coat around herself to stop the shivers on her body.

Unbeknownst to her a dark and handsome stranger watched her from his table as he sipped from his black coffee, a frown and a dash of curiosity shining in his eyes as he observed the grumbling girl who always showed up in the same coffee shop at the same hour and sulked while she drank a too sugary coffee and ate blueberry scones.

 _You tell me your life's been way off line  
You're falling to pieces every time  
And I don't need no carryin' on_

 _._

 _._

Elena sighed as she slumped against the closed door of her apartment; she looked around the non-decorated space and wondered sadly when it was that her Christmas spirit walked away, was after her sister stole her boyfriend? Or perhaps after her first manuscript was rejected? Or perhaps it was when she realized she had been working six years in a job she hated.

Her stomach grumbled so she headed in direction of the kitchen, dropping her bag and keys in the couch on her way, she grabbed a frozen blueberry yogurt and slipped off her shoes before returning to the living room and dropping herself into the white plush couch.

Elena felt more than ready for the week to be over and it was only Tuesday, not even the fact that Thursday was Christmas eve and she would have Friday off could cheer her up; she sighed dramatically and grabbed her worn out copy of the Great Gatsby that rested on top of the coffee table.

Books were her comfort and had always been her happy place, which was why she majored in English literature and hoped to find her dream job as a novelist or an editor; but reality had hit her once school was over with the fact that said job never came and that she probably should have chosen to major in something more useful like her parents had suggested. She had spent months unemployed before she grabbed a job as a barista and then landed another as one of the minions in the RH department of a construction company where everyone bad mouthed each other when they weren't looking and where the job didn't make her passionate at all.

Now she resorted to eating lunch in the coffee shop around the corner from her office and sulking at the people walking out of Salvatore Editorial House, envying them for being able to follow their dreams and not being cowards like her who refused to try again.

The one silver lining of her days were the quick sneak peeks she gave to the handsome blue-eyed man who always ordered just black coffee and sat in the corner with his laptop. He was dazzling and mysterious; she loved to observe the way his brows furrowed when he concentrated and the way a lock of the darkest hair constantly fell over his forehead, she was also mesmerized by his strong forearms and how they stretched whenever he reached for his cup of coffee. He was a true dream to see and Elena wasn't even ashamed to admit she had written a couple of smut pieces using him as inspiration.

Feeling her skin starting to heat up at thoughts of him Elena closed the book she hadn't even been paying attention and headed in direction of the bathroom in order to take a cold shower because the last thing she wanted was to end up masturbating to thoughts of a total stranger…again.

 _You had a bad day, you're taking one down._

 _You sing a sad song just to turn it around  
You say you don't know. You tell me don't lie  
You work at a smile and you go for a ride_

 _._

 _._

Christmas Eve was being the worst day ever; Elena's alarm clock didn't go off so she overslept and arrived late to work…and without being able to iron her hair, which meant her slightly curly hair flew in every direction as she rushed inside, the coffee house ran out of the blueberry scones she loved so much and someone had eaten the turkey sandwich she had brought for lunch; but the real icing on the cake was that since her boss hated her she was designated to stay over hours to finish paperwork.

On Christmas Eve!

Elena could barely believe it as she stomped furiously out of the office after eight o'clock. How could the evil witch of her boss assign her to work so late on Christmas Eve, not that she had any plans since she refused her parent's offer and her two best friends happened to be out of town, but it was already dark outside and she would have liked to be snuggled under her covers with her comfy pajamas and a good dose of Netflix by now.

She couldn't believe her day could get worse but she was proven wrong again when she stepped outside and found nothing but a ghost town; shops were closed and a raging wind blew across the streets. She tightened her coat around herself and started walking, trying to see if she was able to hail a cab.

She rounded the corner until she was in front of the coffee house and right next to the Editorial House, no cars were seen passing by and not a single soul, but her seemed to be outside in the raging storm, she felt a shiver of fear going down her spine and almost expected the noisy alarms of Silent Hill to start sounding at any minute.

"You do realize those are the worst snowshoes ever?" The voice came from behind her and Elena had to snuffle the scream that threatened to break free from her throat, she turned around with a hand above her chest as she tried to slow down her racing heart and found herself face to face with the blue-eyed stranger she liked to ogle every day "You're going to slip at any minute" He said as he eyed her plastic ballerina flats.

Elena raised an eyebrow in his direction and smiled slightly, feeling bold "I could be wearing heels" He smirked in response and walked a couple of steps closer.

"True" He answered.

Elena bit her lip and lowered her eyes to the phone when an alert of her uber application showed up, letting her know there were no available cars for her location.

"You won't be able to get one" She heard the stranger said and raised her eyes to find him staring blatantly at her phone.

"Sorry?"

He nodded towards her phone and then looked around the empty streets which were being sunk underneath the snow a bit more with each second "Streets are closed because of the storm"

Elena's eyes widened "Storm?"

Damon chuckled as he shook his head, "You didn't hear the news? The snow is terrible in most parts of the city. I doubt you'll be able to get out of here"

Elena felt panic prickling at her skin, she had been submerged on paperwork the entire day, her headphones on as she worked to shut down the world and her boss hadn't even mentioned anything after he asked to work extra hours, that little bitch of Rebekah Mikaelson had no respect for her or her well being, Elena didn't know why she continued working for that harpy.

"Oh, shut" She raged and stomped her feet over the snow-covered ground, feeling the white coldness wetting her even more. She threw her hands up in exasperation and shouted at the sky "Is there anything else you want to throw my way?"

During all of her tantrum, Damon stared at her from where he was standing, a fascinating glint in his eyes as he drank in the captivating woman in front of him, someone who was more than sulking eyes and too sugary beverages.

"I live just around the corner" He found himself saying without truly knowing why "You could stay there"

Elena's eyes snapped to his, her cheeks coloring even more as she placed her hands on her hips in a sort of power pose and looked at him disdainfully "And exactly how loose do you think I am?"

Damon felt his own cheeks heating up at the accusation "I wasn't-"He stammered and released a nervous laugh "I wasn't implying anything" His eyes were soft and trustful and Elena found herself considering his option.

"I don't even know you" She said

He nodded and stretched his hand in her direction "My name is Damon Salvatore"

Elena's mouth opened wide and she stared at his outstretched hand; Damon Salvatore was the owner of the one place she would love to work, so not only was her dream job completely out of her league, but also the hot man she had sexual fantasies about was way above her "Go figure, that's my luck" She said as she took his gloved hand and gave it a gentle squeeze "I'm Elena… You own this place" Elena made a gesture towards the building in front of them.

"I do"

She stared at the gold plaque that read his last name and muttered under her breath "God I hate you"

He chuckled and started walking towards his apartment building "Nice to know that" He threw a look over his shoulder and saw her standing in the same spot she was before "Are you coming or not? I would hate for you to freeze to death"

She eyed him skeptically "You could be a serial killer"

"I could, " He said, shrugging and hiding his hands in the pockets of his coat "And the entire cast of The Walking Dead could come out in any minute"

Elena looked around the deserted snow-covered street, which looked completely terrifying in the darkness and started following him as fast as her non-adept snowshoes allowed her "Okay then"

Damon smirked and slowed his pace to catch up on her.

.

.

 _Well, you need a blue sky holiday  
The point is they laugh at what you say  
And I don't need no carryin' on_

.

Elena couldn't hide the awe on her face as Damon opened the door to his penthouse; her eyes drank everything in, from the tall ceilings to the frosted windows overlooking the New York Skyline and several scattered pictures of Damon with his family covering the place "Pretty place"

"Thanks" He answered as he came back from the linen closet where he had gone to retrieve a couple of things for her; he handed her over a clean pair of fuzzy socks and a blanket she wrapped around her cold body.

He stepped out of his coat and rolled the sleeves of his thermal before grabbing the remote and turning on the huge wall attached flat screen, Elena almost salivated at the sight of his naked forearms so she decided to take her attention to the several Christmas ornaments around the house and the huge tree placed in the corner "I admire your Christmas spirit" She said with a chuckle as she thought back to her sad and bare apartment "But I never took you for a Michael Bubble fan" Her smile widened as her eyes moved towards the TV where Bubble's Christmas concert streamed.

Damon raised an eyebrow seductively in her direction as he walked towards her "Never?"

Elena felt her cheeks heating up in embarrassment at the meaning behind his words "I've seen you… in the coffee shop" His eyes twinkled and she felt the blush covering every part of her face "Okay that sounded very stalkerish, I didn't mean it that way"

Damon snickered and turned around in direction of the kitchen, wanting to give her privacy to blush as much as she wanted "No worries, I've watched you too" He threw over his shoulder and missed the way her eyes widened in response.

"Oh"

He opened the pantry and turned to ask her "Wine or hot cocoa?" He asked and she gave him a look in response, he smiled and pulled out a wooden box out of the pantry "Cocoa it is" He placed the pot on the stove and proceeded to throw in the ingredients before stepping away briefly and handing her a tray with some sort of bread in it "Can you place this in the oven for a couple of minutes"

Elea nodded and took it from his hands, her fingers brushing slightly and making tingles dance over her spine "What were your plans before the storm took over?" She asked as she tried to find the way to put to work his expensive looking oven.

"Going to my sister's home for dinner with the family" He answered and then added, "But I do not regret the current company" Elena found herself blushing under his stare once away and saw his eyes shine in response "What about you?"

She shrugged and went to sit in one of the stools as he prepared the cocoa on the stove "Just me and Netflix"

His eyes were trained on the pot, his hand moving in a circular motion "No hot date?"

Elena chuckled and rested her face on her hands "Smooth"

Damon laughed and raised his eyes to meet hers "That obvious, huh?" They remained in silence for a couple of seconds, Michael Bubble's voice filling the wide apartment and the smell of hot cocoa filling Elena's nostrils and making her remember simpler times "What about your family?" He asked after a while.

Elena sighed loudly "My sister is marrying my ex and they're all having dinner together so I ditched that one"

Damon's eyes snapped to hers, his hand frozen over the stove "Wow, that's fucked up"

She rolled her eyes "Tell me about it"

"Still hung up on the guy?" He asked as he poured the hot concoction into two pairs of white Christmas mugs.

She shook her hand as he watched the way his hands moved "No, but it's just awkward anyway" She answered truthfully, family dinners were never the same "They were sneaking together behind my back for a while… and well I never expected it from her"

He sighed and preceded to filler her cup with small marshmallows and mint candy canes "I don't even know what to say"

Elena smiled as she watched the Pinterest worthy mug of cocoa in front of her, Stefan and Katherine so far away from her mind at the moment "Don't say anything, just feed me" He smirked and placed the mug in front of her as he sipped from his own bare of candies drink "No special treats?" She asked.

"This is enough sugar for me but I know you like it" He said referring to her coffee order, she gave him an amused glanced and now it was his turn to blush "That did come out a bit stalkerish"

Elena laughed it up and took a small sip of her drink "So, Damon tell me something about you?"

He rounded the kitchen island so he could sit on a stool next to her, the living room and Michael Bubble behind them "I am a forty year old divorced man who runs a very successful editorial house" He paused and sipped his drink "I love animals and volunteer in a local shelter, I snore quite loudly apparently and I love good bourbon more than anything" She observed him intently, absorbing the knowledge about him and trying to pair it up with the idea she had of him before knowing him "What about you?"

"Divorced, huh?"

He nodded and smiled a bit awkwardly "High school sweethearts who had no business getting married, but who tried to make it work for a long time"

"Children?"

"A twelve-year-old son, Jax" Elena gave him a questioning look and he smiled in response "He's spending the holidays with his mom, I get him for New Year"

Elena stared at him from underneath her lashes and bit her lip, she didn't expect him to be so much older than her and even less for him to be a father, but she did not mind at all, in fact, he had earned the title of DILF in her mind already.

He stared at her expectantly as he sipped from her drink, the clearing of his throat, bringing her back from the intense sexual fantasy that had started brewing in her head, she laughed and tried to hide her blush behind her mug before sobering up and answering his silent question "Well, I am twenty eight, working in RH of the construction company around the block" She took a deep breath "Majored in English lit, love dogs, have a crazy family and I've never been told I snore"

"English Lit?" He said at the same moment his eyebrows shot upwards "And what are you doing in RH?"

Elena stiffened "This is a hard moment in the job field" She answered defensively and then sighed dejectedly "I applied to a couple of editorials when I finished college and even send one of my manuscripts, but got no luck"

"And then?"

She swirled the candy canes on her mug and stared at the dissolving tincture on the hot liquid "Then I needed to pay rent so I took on a really good job" She answered truthfully; going back home hadn't been an option so instead of returning to Virginia with the tail between her legs she had stuck up to a job she didn't enjoy.

Because something was better than nothing.

Damon stared at her as he sipped from his mug, curiosity brewing behind his blue eyes "And you never tried again?"

Elena seemed taken aback by his question, she tried to form a correct way to answer, but when she was unable doing it, she decided to sigh and agree with his statement "I- I guess I never did"

"And you're happy where you are?" He asked and she answered him with her silence; Damon leaned back on his chair, the mug placed securely between his hands "You know this company was handed down to me by my father?" Elena nodded since she had done her fair share of research about Salvatore Editorial before "At first he refused to let me take charge. He groomed my cousin for the job because he didn't though I was the right man for the job. He didn't though I was fit for it; no matter what I did it was never enough" A strange emotion clouded his eyes before it transformed into fierce determination "But I never gave up, I kept working for it until I could convince him I was the right guy" He chuckled and Elena watched marveled as his face lit up with satisfaction "Salvatore Editorial has thrived under my tutelage as it never did with him, and I like to rub it in his face from time to time"

He released a short laugh and Elena laughed alongside him, "Have you ever thought about doing a TED talk?" Damon laughed once again, the sound echoing in the high walls.

With smiles on their faces, they remained in silence as they stared at each other, the snow falling outside while Michael Bubble's voice sang from the TV "Dance with me" He said as ' _I'll be home for Christmas'_ started playing.

Elena gave him a questioning look but she wasn't able to erase the delighted smile from her lips "Okay, this isn't random at all" She told him but took his hand once he stood up in front of her and offered her.

He placed both of his hands on her waist and leaned into her body, she rested hers on the nape of his neck and absently played with the hair in there "I like to observe you" He confessed as they swayed to the soft tune of the music; she thought anyone else would probably have found his words creepy but she didn't, not when she liked to observe him as well.

Damon breathed in and rested his forehead against hers "I love to watch the way your lip pouts and this vein throbs on your forehead" He smoothed down said vein with the tip of his fingers and felt her shudder in his arms, "I love to see the intensity in your eyes and the way you lick your upper lip after the first sip of your coffee" His finger moved from her forehead to her mouth, the touch a mere ghost over her skin "I've always wanted to know if you taste as sweet as your sugary drinks"

Elena felt herself melting into his arms and in a bold move thrust her face upwards and touched her lips to his "Want to try it?" She whispered, lips grazing each other as she spoke.

Damon smiled into her mouth "Merry Christmas Elena" He said as he pulled her closer, she shivered in his arms "Merry Christmas Damon" Their lips joined in a gentle kiss as the music echoed on the walls and the snow covered the pavement on the street.

And Elena Gilbert never felt more grateful for being forced to work late.


End file.
